Homemade Pizzas | Kale Sauce

We love making homemade pizzas and are always searching for new fun recipes to try. This month's Southern Living arrived and for once, I actually opened it the day it arrived!

They had a great spread on new pizza recipes, and one in particular caught my eye - Smoked Sausage, Grilled Corn and Sweet Onion. The kicker is the sauce - it's made from kale. So delicious! 

Ingredients
1 Pizza crust {we used Pillsbury whole wheat - but you can also make your own - recipe here}
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced and sautéed {I used turkey sausage}
1 cup sweet onion, sliced and sautéed
2 ears fresh corn or 1 cup, grilled
2 cups havarti cheese
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning

For the Sauce:
2 cups chopped kale
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup almonds, chopped and roasted
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp fresh garlic

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, make your kale sauce. Using the food processor, add kale and salt - pulse 10-12 times to chop. Next add olive oil, garlic, almonds and parmesan cheese one at a time through the chute, while pulsing to mix. The sauce will be a nice thick consistency, but easy to spread. Unroll dough on pan, top with olive oil and a sprinkle of italian seasoning. Cook 7-9 minutes until lightly browned. Top pizza with kale sauce first, then onions, smoked sausage, corn and havarti cheese. Cook 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Annalee Estelle | Two Months

Dear Annalee,

What an exciting month it has been. You have grown so much and developed the cutest personality. We love to see your face light up when you recognize our voice or face. You smile with your whole face and your big blue eyes melt our heart instantly. You are becoming a great sleeper, waking only twice at night to eat and you love bath time. You are such a great eater too, taking down 3 oz. every three hours, but haven't gained weight like we wanted. We've started feeding you every 2.5 hours during the day to beef you up a little. We still have you sleeping in your bassinet in our room, which I think is more for me than for you, but it's nice to have you close for now. You took your first flight at 6 weeks and you traveled like a pro! We can't wait to take you on more trips very soon. You came to work with Mommy for the first time and you were an angel, sleeping right through your first meeting. We also took you to Mulberry Hill for the first time to meet Daddy's co-workers. We hosted a lunch in your honor and they loved meeting you! The guys even bought you a life-size giraffe, which so far you seem to enjoy. You enjoyed hanging with your bestie Hadley for a few outings this month, who is just a couple months older than you - her mom and I are excited for you girls to grow up together. This month has really flown by and your momma has loved being home with you!

Two Month Highlights:

• 9 lbs, 15 ozs., 23 inches, 15.5 in head circumference, bright blue eyes and blond hair
• Wearing 0-3 month clothing and pajamas \\ Pampers & Huggies Newborn diapers
• Nicknames: Anna Banana \\ Sweet Pea \\ Pumpkin \\ Little Bit \\ Bug 
• Tricks: You have such a strong neck and are holding your head up when anyone holds you on their chest \\ You've started recognizing faces and sounds and giving us so many smiles \\ You can grab your Wubbanub and get it back into your mouth by yourself \\ You love Mommy's hair and have a strong grip once you get a hold \\ You love bath time
• Favorite toys: Lion & Frog WubbaNub \\ paci \\ the stripes in your room are probably the most fascinating thing to you at the moment as well as your new giant giraffe
• Food: Just momma's milk
• We had a great lunch with the KA staff in your honor
• You love walks with Mommy & Daddy and go right to sleep in the stroller
• This month we celebrated your first July 4th holiday and National Ice cream day, as well as your first brewery tour
• You got your first shots at 8 weeks
• You took your first plane ride to Arizona for FEA

Two Month Favorites {Items We Couldn't Live Without}:

Boppy Newborn Lounger \\ The Bob Stroller \\ Wubbanub \\ Paci clip \\ MommaRoo \\ Swaddle Blankets \\ Footie PJ's \\ Baby Bathtub 

Pictures from this month:

July 4th Celebrations

Your first flight and trip to Scottsdale, Arizona

First Mango meeting! 

Hanging With Hadley at Friday's Alive

All smilies...

You've grown so much since your one month update!

Sweet Summertime Weekends

After 8 weeks I finally feel like we are getting back to normal life and starting to enjoy the sweet days of summer. We had a wonderful weekend at home, filling our days with long walks/runs, house projects, great food, music and cold bevs. And Miss Annalee tagged right along for all of it. Friday was her 8 week check-up, which also meant her first round of shots. She was a champ at the doc, but around 4:30 p.m. the discomfort set in, little miss was so pitiful all night. I felt so bad for her.

We ordered in Sushi and ate at home, while soaking up lots of snuggles. Saturday morning we slept in, ate a big breakfast and got right to work on home projects and operation de-clutter. After a long afternoon walk - which was supposed to end with ice cream - we decided on Blue Lab instead and stopped in for a pint and Miss Annalee's first brewery trip.

That evening we got dressed up and hit the streets for a night on the town! We dined at Haywood's and enjoyed a delicious meal while listening to the piano man. Annalee had the best seat in the house... in the window for all the passer-by's to say hi!

After dinner we moseyed down to the Bistro on Main to say hi to our favorite bartender Morty and old neighbor... and to enjoy a night cap with dessert. The bourbon bread pudding and chocolate ganache brownie did not disappoint. I didn't snap any pics because it disappeared so quickly, but trust me - it was devine. Miss Annalee was a perfect princess, just hanging out and soaking up the sights.

Sunday we had an early morning - I think momma enjoyed a glass one too many of vino the night before - which made 4 hours of sleep extra tiring. So we lounged in our PJ's and eventually got to work on house projects and laundry. We're making good progress on Miss Annalee's nursery and I'm happy to report that the book racks we purchased back in Janaury are finally hung!  Here is a sneak peak...

Momma went for her first run post-baby - 2 miles was tough - but I made it. It felt so good to lace up my new Brooks and hit the pavement once again. Hoping I can do that with a stroller next time.

We needed to make a trip to the grocery store, but Daddy did the honors and dropped me off for a pedi instead! My feet was in desperate need of a little TLC and that's exactly what they got. We completed the afternoon with a trip to Devil's Backbone Brewing Co. We figured why not complete the Lexington brewery tour for Miss Annalee?

Sunday evening was capped off with a shrimp boil to kick-off the 150th week... and a early bedtime for all. Well, after an episode of House of Cards that is.

Cheers to a great week my friends!

Five on Friday

It's Friday friends!! I hope everyone had a great summer weekend on tap. We are excited that we have another weekend at home to get some more house work done and soak up some quiet before KA's 150th celebration crazy week next week. These are just a few {5} favorites from the week.

{one} Stone Washed Denim. I picked up two pieces from the clearance rack at Old Navy this week and I can't wait to add them to the wardrobe. A casual dress and shorts - nice staples for the summer closet.

{two} Decorating Inspiration. After spending hours upon hours in our living room, I have decided it needs an overhaul. I'm tired of all the old frames and decor on the shelves; I'm dying for a new rug; and trying to de-clutter. On little bit's and my shopping trip earlier this week I picked up this great pillow at TJ Maxx. I think it will be the inspiration for my new color scheme in the living room.

{three} Broccoli Slaw has become one of my new favorite summer side dishes. We had it a couple times this week - so light and delicious! This is a great recipe, only I use the pre shredded broccoli mix. The dressing they use is easy and fabulous, and I love adding almonds and craisins.

{four} Baby Smiles! We have been soaking up lots of baby smiles this week. Miss Annalee is really developing quite the personality and I love it so much!

This also may be why she's smiling too... she has a new friend in her nursery! The KA boys all pitched in and got it as a gift for the nursery. So, so sweet. 

{five} A new bag. This collection from Mark and Graham is one of my favorites. Today they are offering 15% off with code SPWF-4XCF-N7VZ. Happy Shopping!

Want to join in the fun? Simply write about five things on your mind today, grab the button below and link up with the ladies for 5 on Friday. 

Miss Annalee has her 8 week check-up today, so we are off for a trip to the doc and some shopping.  Happy Friday and Cheers to the weekend friends!

Baby Lyons | Nursery Decor

Be Happy Print 

I hat to admit it, but Miss Annalee's nursery is still "in progress" as I type this... and yes, she is almost 8 weeks old. I am just terrible at making decisions because there are so many things I love!  I am happy to report that we did finally purchase a few of the items below and today I am off to Roanoke for some shopping! But, I wanted to share some of my inspiration for decorating. 

Gold Pouf

Etsy Prints

Paper Tassel Mobile

Round Mirror 

Circle Garland

Nursery Rhymes

Antlers

Gold Bamboo Frame

Hopefully I will be able to share some pictures of a fully-decorated nursery soon!

The Sofa | Life with Baby

Today was spent like most days, lounging from the sofa with the babe... feeding, burping, eating, online browsing, blogging, emailing, etc. I realized how funny it would be to look at our sofa now and a look at our sofa pre-baby. So I thought that would be fun to share on this beautiful Friday!

Pre-baby = pillows and a blanket

Post-baby = newborn lounger, baby blanket, burp cloth, Wubbanub, Boppy, breast pump, pumping bra and at arms reach: water, chap-stick and a hair clip. With lots of baby cards posted on the wall behind us.

Amazing how things tend to multiply for someone so tiny. 

We have a fun weekend planned in Lex with a few outings to Friday's Alive and two house-warming parties, a visit with the Hastings twins and lots of house cleaning and work. Looking forward to it after a busy week. 

Cheers to the weekend my friends! 

Traveling with A Newborn

We are back from a fabulous trip to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess... with out little princess in tow. She traveled like a rock-star, {ok - I think actual rock stars travel in first class, so this was a little different, but she was so good}!  We did a little research before the trip to gather some tips for successful infant travel and I thought it would be helpful for others to share.

Traveling Tips

• The easiest way for me to carry little bit was in my Ergobaby 360. It allowed my hands to be free and was comfy. It also kept her away from any wondering hands wanting to see the baby. I purchased the infant insert just in case, but actually didn't need it. She is probably about 10 lbs. now and 23 inches long and was fine without it.

Ergobaby 360 Bundle - $179.00

• Most airlines will let you check a stroller, car seat and bassinet for free. You can choose to gate check them or check them through to your final destination. We had a connection in ATL, and I didn't want to be dragging both a stroller and car seat through the airport, so we checked them through to our final destination. 
• We purchased bags for the car seat and stroller so they wouldn't get beat up on the trip. You can choose to leave them out of bags, or place them in a clear plastic bag provided by the airlines, but we decided the investment would be worth it since we'll be traveling again with her soon. I did a little research on what travel bags held up the best for their price, and these are the two we decided upon: 

Britax Stroller Bag - $36.99

Jeep Car Seat Bag - $18.99

• I purchased a paci clip to be sure we always had a paci on hand and off the floor. Just in case. This one from Bella Tunno is cute and seems to hold up well.

 
Bella Tunno Paci Clip - $8.00

• Traveling with milk or formula is easy. I am breastfeeding, so I used my Medela cooler pack and packed two 3 oz bottles of breast milk and kept two empty for pumping. They tell you to only bring on what you will use during your travel day, but on the way home I traveled with four full bottles {since I didn't want to dump any} and it was just fine too. I was lucky to not have any issues. But they do open the bottles and swab them - so you just have to be ok with that. I ended up feeding her most of the time, because it was just easier. A couple if the airports actually had lactation stations too - so nice and private if you're not comfy with nursing in public. I actually found that it was easier to feed her in my seat on the plane rather than the airport. I was also traveling with my husband, so I knew the person next to me. That would be the hardest part of feeding on the plane. I would pick a window seat to give you a little more privacy just in case. A tip to keep your ice pack frozen for the trip home, pack an extra ziplock bag and pack ice around your frozen ice pack every day to keep it frozen. 

• Traveling with formula? They make those great travel packs already measured out for you or a formula dispenser so you can have it pre-measured and ready to go. 
• Be sure your ticket has "infant in arms" listed on your reservation. You don't have to purchase a ticket for them until they are 2 years old, so take advantage mommas!! 
• Finally, a very helpful site from Delta on traveling with children. 

What to Pack

• Feeding. I packed our bottle brush, a small travel grass for drying and a mini bottle of dish soap to bring along. This was probably the most used items on our trip and pretty light to travel with. I traveled with 4 regular bottles and 6 Medela storage bottles, just in case. This was plenty. You could probably make due with 2 regular and 4 for storage, and just wash them. I'm not sure we ever actually had all of them in use. 

• Diapering. I packed 75 diapers and 2 packs for wipes for a 5 day trip. This was the perfect amount. I came home with maybe 5 diapers and plenty of extra wipes... but actually left a pack on one of our flights, so the back-up pack was nice to have. I carried just what I needed for the day in my diaper bag (10 diapers and 25 wipes) and J carried extra in his carry-on, just in case! We love the munchkin changing pads and couldn't survive without them. I keep one in my diaper bag, rolled up in my changing pad and also use them at home on our changing pad. They are a life savor! We also had plenty of arm-n-hammer diaper sacks and Desitin on hand!
• We set up a nice little changing station in the room - which leads me to another tip - ask for two queens instead of a king bed. We used the other bed for a changing station, a pumping station and a place to sit and feed. It's also where we had the newborn lounger, for little bit to chill.  Yes, we brought along our Boppy Newborn Lounger, and I'm so glad we did. We were able to fit it in the bag with her car seat, so it was checked for free too. 

Change station on the bed.

• Sleep. We called ahead and were able to reserve a crib for the room for free, the even included sheets and a baby blanket, so sweet! We brought our own blanket, but used their sheets and it was great. I didn't have to worry about size and fit, or packing them up for the trip home. We were also able to ask for a fridge for the room - free of charge - to keep breast milk. 
• Spills. Oxi-clean has been our go-to for stain removal, so for the trip I orders a small travel size stick and packed it with a toothbrush to clean any stains we encountered on the trip. We also packed lots of gallon and quart ziploc bags for dirty clothes while out and about. A few came in handy for sure! 
• Bath Time. We just packed one baby towel and enough wash cloths for one a day. I also packed a travel size baby soap from the honest company, along with laundry detergent, lotion and hand soap. 

Honest Essentials Travel Kit- $13.95

• Mom. I found a small freezer bag/pack that we got free and packed it with my Brest Pump and accessories. Also packed lots of lanolin cream and breast pads. The essentials for momma's! 
• Other Essentials. First Aid Kit, Sleep Sacks, Muslin Blankets, Onesies, Burp Cloths, Bathing Suits, Hats, Socks, and enough outfits for 3 a day. 

We had a great trip and honestly, had exactly what we needed for the trip. It felt like a lot - of course, but having it all made the trip really easy. She traveled like an old pro and we are excited for our next trip soon!